Family Ties
by The Literary Dragon
Summary: [COMPLETE] When secrets are revealed, Miroku is forced to confront his past. Will his friends support his decision? And who is Kimiko?
1. Travels

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha

FAMILY TIES

Chapter 1: Travels

The life of a traveling monk was hell. Sure, you got to meet lots of people, enjoy fabulous meals, and the sights are never the same….

"Hurry up, Miroku! We don't have all day!" Inuyasha scowled at the monk as if the slow pace were entirely his fault.

"Be nice, Inuyasha," Kagome scolded. She walked sedately beside the young hanyou, both hands on the handlebars of the strange vehicle from her era as she carefully pushed it over the rutted track. Why she insisted on bringing it, Miroku couldn't figure out. She didn't get the chance to ride it much.

Inuyasha harrumphed and folded his hands inside his sleeves. "If we're going to go this slow, we might as well sit back and wait for Naraku to bring the rest of the shards to us. Or don't you care that he's already completed most of it."

Miroku sighed as he listened to the schoolgirl and the hanyou bicker back and forth. However, you also had to deal with obnoxious demon companions, oversensitive women, and being threatened with a grisly death several times a month.

"Don't eat that, Shippou!" Sango plucked a small green fruit out of the kit's hands. "It's not ripe! You'll make yourself sick!"

"But I'm hungry!" Shippou pouted at the under ripe apple being held enticingly out of his reach. "All I had this morning was a granola bar Kagome gave me. Inuyasha was in too much of a hurry to give us time to eat."

"We'll stop soon."

Miroku eyed the apple in the tajiya's hand, his stomach grumbling a sharp complaint. All of them had been on their feet since dawn. Inuyasha wouldn't stop harping on the subject that Kagome had gone home for one of her never-ceasing 'tests' when she could have been here looking for jewel shards. As a result, instead of a nice leisurely breakfast, they wolfed down some of Kagome's pre-packaged rations and started walking.

An angry hiss near his ankles caused him to stumble and look down. Kirara fluffed her fur at him and hissed again. He hadn't noticed her sitting down to scratch behind one ear and, as a result, had nearly stepped on her tails.

"Sorry, Kirara." Miroku bent down to give the two-tailed cat an apologetic scratch.

"Mew." Kirara accepted the caresses before bounding off to catch up with her mistress.

They had been walking for hours down the dusty, rutted road with the sun blazing down on them out of a clear blue sky. Breakfast was a distant memory and the energetic hanyou showed no signs of stopping anytime soon. Miroku heartily wished that they would get to where they were going or that someone would suggest a break. He was sure he must have twisted his ankle when he stumbled in one of the cart tracks. There was a rock in his sandal and the bright sunlight was giving him a headache. In short, he was hot, dusty, and growing more irritable by the second.

Miroku swallowed hard, trying to work up a little saliva to moisten his mouth, and wondering how he could suggest stopping for at least a drink of water without appearing weak in the eyes of his companions. Maybe he could casually stroll up behind Sango and pat her on the ass. The concussion might even be worth the five-minute rest it would take him to regain consciousness and climb to his feet.

"Master! Master!"

A familiar shape barreled through the sky towards them, shouting at the top of his lungs.

"Look, it's Hachi." Kagome pointed at the advancing youkai. She shaded her eyes, squinting into the bright blue sky. "I wonder if something's wrong. He sounds upset."

At the last second, the timid youkai pulled up and poofed into his normal raccoon-like form. An expression of worry twisted his features as he continuously wrung his paw-like hands together.

"What's wrong, Hachi?" Miroku gladly seized on the excuse to stop moving. Hachi often sought him out in times of crisis, though his idea of a crisis and Miroku's usually differed wildly. It could be that he had stepped on a bee, and was now convinced that Naraku was trying to hunt him down.

"There's trouble to the north, Master!" Hachi bounced from one foot to the other, clearly agitated.

"What's wrong now?" Inuyasha stomped towards them, having just become aware that everybody else had stopped. He leveled a ferocious glare at the raccoon-dog. Hachi swallowed hard and took several small steps backwards, away from the annoyed hanyou. "If it doesn't have anything to do with Naraku or the jewel shards, then I don't want to hear about it!"

"It's Kimiko!" Hachi squeaked.

"Kimiko? Who's Kimiko?" Kagome asked. She glanced at Sango, but got only a blank stare in return. Inuyasha shrugged, already losing interest in a conversation that had nothing to do with him, his enemies, or his quest.

_Kimiko?_ Miroku turned pale. Dropping his staff, he grabbed the front of Hachi's kimono. "What happened to Kimiko? What did you hear?"

"I --I don't-- don't really know," Hachi stammered.

"How could you not know? Tell me what's going on! Now!" Miroku punctuated each word with a harsh shake.

"Please, Master!" Hachi whimpered, trying valiantly to stay upright when Miroku kept jerking him off his feet. "I don't know! I came as soon as I heard!"

"Lord Monk!" Sango's shocked voice snapped him out of his distress and he became aware that he was holding the faithful Hachi in a stranglehold. The poor little youkai gasped weakly, already beginning to turn blue. Miroku dropped him without a smile or apology.

"Give my regards to Naraku if you see him." Miroku picked up his staff, frowning at the dust that coated its surface. "I have urgent business in the north. I'll meet you back at Kaede's in a few weeks." With a brisk nod for his companions, he started walking in his new direction. A clawed hand on the back of his robes jerked him to a stop before he had taken more than a couple of steps.

"What's your hurry, Miroku?" Inuyasha hauled the monk around to face him as easily as if he were a child.

"Business," Miroku muttered, squirming in the hanyou's grip. He winced when he heard the distinct sound of tearing cloth. By now, his robe had so many darns and patches it might be easier just to purchase a new one.

"Who's Kimiko?" Kagome repeated, a tiny frown creasing her forehead. Shippou lounged in her arms, contentedly licking the large lollipop he had no doubt guilted her into giving him. Being small and cute had distinct advantages where women were concerned. "Do you need help?"

Miroku didn't answer.

Shippou jumped from the schoolgirl's arms to land on Miroku's shoulder. He gripped the fabric of the monk's robe in one hand, waving the sugary treat clenched in his other hand to keep his balance. Miroku jerked his head away from the child. A sticky lollipop might be worse than the time he got a wad of Shippou's gum tangled in his hair.

"Let us help you, Miroku! We're your friends!" He released his grip to pat Miroku's face with a small, sticky hand, looking around for confirmation.

"Keh!" Inuyasha released Miroku so suddenly that only quick reflexes kept the monk from falling. Shippou squealed and grabbed a fistful of Miroku's hair, the lollipop colliding painfully with the monk's ear. "I don't care what his problem is! I just don't want to lose a valuable fighter when we could meet up with Naraku at any time."

Kagome elbowed Inuyasha hard, earning her an irritated look from the hanyou. "Why don't you tell us what's wrong? We might be able to help."

Miroku peeled Shippou off of his shoulder, handing the kit to Kagome. He straightened his robe, trying to buy himself some time. Kagome was one of his closest friends, but there were times when he wished she were a little less… helpful. Lying to his friends was plain distasteful, though he had done it from time to time. Still… lying about this particular situation seemed even more wrong than usual.

"This is about a girl, isn't it?" Sango's quiet, direct question made the answer both easier and infinitely more difficult. With her dark eyes fixed on him, Hiraikotsu slung casually across her back, she looked every inch the proud warrior woman. Miroku could only guess at the horrors that made her whimper in fear some nights after she had drifted into a nightmare-ridden sleep. This made him extremely reluctant to be less than honest.

Laughing uneasily, he rubbed the back of his neck with his cursed hand, the smooth press of the beads on his glove soothing the tension that was growing there. "This does concern a girl."

"I knew it!" Sango turned away, but not quickly enough to completely hide the brief flash of hurt in her eyes. "Is she one of your conquests?"

"What? No!" Miroku's genuinely startled reaction seemed to reassure the tajiya. She turned back to face him, a puzzled look in her eyes.

"There isn't much time, Master." Hachi tugged on his sleeve, focusing his attention once again. "We have to hurry!"

"Right." Miroku nodded once in agreement before turning back to face his companions. "Don't worry. I'll see you in three weeks."

"Oh, no you won't." Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest and glared at the monk. "We're coming with you."

"We are?" Kagome and Sango exchanged startled glances.

"You are?" The dismay in his own reply was lost on the small group.

"Mew." Miroku looked down into the knowing red eyes of Kirara. He smiled weakly at her, but she didn't look convinced.

"What about the shard?" Kagome asked. It was just like the girl to try and make everybody happy. But then, she was usually the one who had to put up with Inuyasha's sulks and listen to him complain for days.

"Feh. It was just a stupid rumor." Inuyasha waved one arm dismissively. "We'll find another one." He twitched an ear in annoyance at the skepticism on all four faces (five if you counted Kirara). Don't look at me like that! You don't think I'd let the monk go walking into who knows what kind of danger alone, do you?"

Miroku sighed. _Can't you just feel the love? Well, nobody said the life of a traveling monk with a cursed hand was going to be boring._

Inuyasha growled at their lack of confidence in his motives, and pushed past Miroku to head in a vaguely northerly direction. "What are you waiting for? You said north, right? Let's get this over with so we can get back to shard hunting!"

Miroku suppressed his irritation at Inuyasha's attitude, knowing that he was offering to help in his own rough and unpolished way. The tough, uncaring hanyou did often leap in to help others even when he had nothing to gain. Kagome mounted her pink bicycle, plopping Shippou in the basket, and pedaled after him. Her shouts to wait for the rest of them caused Inuyasha to shorten his strides only slightly.

Hachi, still tired from pushing himself to reach them, was in no condition to transform and carry all of them. Until the youkai had time to recover, it would be faster to walk. From time to time, Hachi glanced at Miroku with worry etched clearly in his eyes.

Lost in his own thoughts, Miroku barely acknowledged Sango when she came to walk beside him. _What could have happened to Kimiko? Were they attacked by youkai? Was she ill? Dying? _Various scenarios kept running through his mind, each one worse than the last. By the time Sango spoke, he was wound so tight that he visibly jumped.

"Who's Kimiko?" Sango reached back to adjust the weight of Hiraikotsu on her back, carefully not looking directly at him.

"Someone," Miroku answered vaguely, eyes fixed on the horizon as if that would make the miles pass faster.

Sango glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, obviously perplexed by the shortness of his replies. "Is she a geisha? Or maybe some poor village girl you seduced years ago?"

Miroku snorted to hide his growing unease. _Could things be that bad? Could she have been forced to… _He shook his head to rid it of the disturbing images. "Not unless things are a lot worse than I hope."

"A friend, then?" she pressed. Focusing on the group, Miroku noticed that Inuyasha had one ear trained on their conversation. Kagome was pushing her bike again and talking to Hachi, who was giving distracted replies and kept glancing at him with worried eyes. "We always have time to help the friends of our friends."

Rubbing his hand against his neck, he squinted upwards to check the position of the sun. "I wouldn't say that. We've never actually met."

"We're going to help a girl you've never met?" Disbelief colored Sango's tone. Miroku nodded absently. Normally, he was quite interested in anything the lovely Sango had to say and always hyper-aware of her position and moods. With other worries on his mind, he didn't notice that she was growing irritated with him until her hand on his collar jerked him to a stop.

"What's going on, Lord Monk?" Sango released him in order to place both hands on her hips. "This isn't some romantic entanglement you've gotten yourself into. She's not a friend because you've never met before. Who is she? Some sort of distant relative?"

Miroku looked slowly at the circle of curious faces that now surrounded him. Hachi was the only one steadfastly refusing to meet his gaze. But that was understandable. He had extracted a solemn promise from the youkai to never reveal his connection to this particular girl, or he would live long enough to regret it.

"Actually," Miroku rubbed the back of his neck and tried to laugh, but the sound fell flat, "she's my sister."

_

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As always, comments are welcome. _

**Food for thought:**

A bus is a vehicle that runs twice as fast when you are after it as when you are in it.


	2. Legacy

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha

Chapter 2: Legacy

The anger on Sango's face rapidly gave way to surprise. "Your sister?"

Miroku nodded weakly and shifted his weight, trying to appear calm despite the anxiety about what could have possibly happened to Kimiko. His friends would insist on hearing the whole story. He had been traveling with them long enough to know that.

"I didn't know you had a sister, Lord Miroku," Kagome commented, walking back to where he and Sango had stopped. Hachi stared at the ground, heartily wishing that he were elsewhere. This was not going to be a comfortable conversation.

"Why didn't you tell us, Miroku?" Shippou hopped onto Miroku's shoulder, gripping his robe with small, sticky hands. At least the lollipop was long gone.

"I--" Miroku started and then coughed lightly, unsure of how to begin. "It's a long story," he finally said, holding onto the faint hope that they would take the hint.

Kagome and Sango exchanged glances, obviously reluctant to push. Every member of the little party harbored secrets that they would rather not talk about. Miroku admitting that he had a sister was shock enough. Inuyasha solved the dilemma in his usual manner by stalking out of the middle of the road and dropping into a cross-legged seat under a tree growing by the roadside.

"We're not going anywhere." Inuyasha shifted to make himself comfortable, plainly intent on not moving until Miroku talked. "Start talking, monk."

Within minutes, the small group was settled on the grass. Kagome carefully laid her bicycle on the ground and sat down by Inuyasha. Shippou snuggled next to her while Kirara hopped into Sango's lap and curled into a furry ball, purring contentedly. Hachi cast one last miserable glance at Miroku before sitting down with everyone else.

Miroku took several deep, calming breaths, drawing upon his spiritual training to help him find the right words. Talking about Kimiko wouldn't be easy. He had spent years convincing people that he was the only surviving member of his family in order to protect her.

"So, is she younger or older than you?" Kagome prodded when it began to look like Miroku wasn't ever going to say anything.

"She's my twin." Miroku kept his eyes on the ground to avoid looking at any of his companions. "I am the elder by almost an hour."

"What happened to her?" Sango prompted. "Why have you never mentioned her? Are you ashamed of her?"

"No!" Miroku jerked his head up to stare at Sango reproachfully. Did she really think so little of him? "She's my sister! I--I never mentioned her for her own protection. How long do you think she would last if Naraku or one of our other enemies learned of her existence?"

"Does she have a kazaana, too?" Shippou piped up. "Is she a priestess or something?"

"Talking about my sister isn't easy," Miroku grumbled, a hint of irritation in his voice.

"Why don't you start at the beginning?" Sango's eyes held his, understanding in their quiet depths. Only someone who had lost a beloved sibling could know this difficulty.

"Many years ago," Miroku began slowly, "my father traveled through the villages belonging to a powerful daimyo. He had heard how beautiful the daimyo's young wife was and he desired the chance to gaze upon her beauty. With the promise to rid the castle of all demonic traces, he gained entrance."

Inuyasha snorted. "Your father was as lecherous as you. He didn't want to just gaze at this woman. Tell the story right."

Miroku sighed. "Everybody knows that, Inuyasha. Just let me tell it my way."

"If you're bored, go find something to do." Kagome leveled a glare at the hanyou that usually preceded a sit. "I want to hear this. It sounds romantic." Inuyasha grumbled, but didn't leave. He picked up a nearby stick and began peeling the bark off with his claws.

"As it turns out," Miroku continued, "there was a slight infestation of termite youkai in the walls. A few more months and the castle would have started crumbling around them. Father's status was changed from traveling monk to honored guest. The young wife was just as beautiful and kind as the villagers claimed. He was quite intrigued with her and she returned his feelings."

Kagome abruptly clapped her hands over Shippou's ears. "Is this the kind of story that kids should be hearing? Shippou doesn't need to be corrupted more than he already is."

"Your father didn't seduce the daimyo's wife into his bed with false promises, did he?" Sango looked slightly disgusted. Kirara, sensing her mistress' change in mood, raised her head and growled at him.

Miroku made a great effort to relax, grinding out between clenched teeth, "If you'll let me finish, I'll tell you what happened." With grumbles and suspicious looks, the others subsided.

"Now, the daimyo wasn't stupid. But he was very old and he had a very young wife. One day he approached my father with a proposition. He was childless and this woman was his third wife. His first two wives had died without producing the needed heir. If he died without any heirs, his lands would fall to a greedy and unscrupulous cousin. He wanted my father to dispel the evil aura surrounding his wife. Obviously, that was why she had been unable to conceive. My father was wise enough not to argue."

Kagome sighed happily, her eyes shining. "How romantic. Isn't that romantic, Inuyasha?"

"Feh." Inuyasha looked up from the stick he had been carefully shredding. "If he was passed off as the heir to this daimyo, then why is he wandering around as a monk? I think that story is just a load of hot air."

"Miroku wasn't the only child," Kagome reminded Inuyasha. "Obviously, Kimiko was chosen to be the heir. It makes sense."

"Stupid." Inuyasha tossed what remained of the stick aside and leaned back on his elbows. "Girls can't inherit. Everybody knows that. They don't have the brains for it."

"They don't, do they?" Inuyasha realized at least part of his mistake as soon as Kagome spoke, deadly venom coating her words.

He rolled to a sitting position and scooted backwards until his back was pressed against the trunk of the tree. "I didn't mean it like that! Women don't have the ability to govern _large_ areas of land. And no man would respect another man who takes orders from a woman. You're good, Kagome, but only with the small things."

Miroku listened as Inuyasha dug himself deeper into a hole. Judging by the fire in Kagome's eyes, he was setting himself up for a really painful sit. Mentally, he began counting.

"OSUWARI!"

Amazing. That had only taken about 10 seconds. Nobody could offend a woman faster than Inuyasha just by talking.

"May I continue?" Miroku took the groan from the prostrate hanyou as assent. Inuyasha levered himself out of the hole his body had created and sat down, striving to pretend that nothing had happened.

"As I was saying, it didn't require much persuasion for my father to agree. The daimyo didn't even questions why the exorcism required my father to be alone with his wife for hours at a time. When she conceived at last, it was just assumed that the evil aura had been broken. My father did impose one condition of his own. The firstborn child would be his to raise, and the second would be the heir the daimyo desired. It turned out that the daimyo was so desperate that he didn't care if the child was a boy or a girl. A boy would grow to inherit the lands in his own right, while a girl would be wed to a neighboring daimyo who possessed a surfeit of sons. This would bind their two lands together through the marriage of their children and make it easier for them to withstand the greedy advances of the daiymo's cousin. Before the year was out, the bargain had been fulfilled. I left to be raised by my father while Kimiko remained behind."

"It must hurt," Sango commented softly, "knowing that you have a sister and are unable to see her."

"What about the kazaana?" Shippou chirped impatiently. The romantic entanglements were lost on the young kit. Other aspects seized his attention. "If you have one, doesn't that mean that your sister would have one, too?"

"I am the elder," Miroku repeated patiently. "I inherited the kazaana from my father. Kimiko doesn't have one and never will unless I die without destroying Naraku or siring my own heir first. That's the way the curse works."

"How did you find out about this sister of yours if you were separated shortly after birth?" Inuyasha had recovered from his sulk and seemed genuinely interested in the answer.

"Mushin told me. Apparently, my father had confided the circumstances of my birth to the old monk. I don't think my father ever wanted me to know about Kimiko. Probably wanted to spare me the heartache of knowing I had a sister and never being able to meet her. They used to have rather heated arguments after they thought I was asleep. Mushin told me the day before I set out on my own--told me everything he knew. I asked Hachi to keep watch on Kimiko. If I couldn't go see her, I at least wanted to know that she was doing well."

"How sweet." Kagome gazed at him with that starry expression she usually reserved for cute, fuzzy animals or the kitsune kit.

Sango's eyes were harder to read. They met his with a quiet intensity that was rather unsettling. She scratched Kirara between the ears, earning a sleepy purr in reply. When she didn't say anything, Miroku wasn't sure whether to be worried or relieved.

Abruptly, Inuyasha climbed to his feet. He squinted in the direction of the sun. Almost casually, he walked over to lift Kagome's bike off the ground. His companions remained where they were, watching him.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" he demanded, irritation in his voice. "If we don't get going, we will never reach the monk's sister before the sun goes down."

"You don't have to involve yourself in my problems," Miroku said quietly. Inside, he was touched that Inuyasha was still willing to travel out of his way even after hearing the entire story.

Kagome regarded Miroku as if he had grown a second head. "Don't be silly. You're our friend. Of course we'll go with you and we'll help with whatever trouble has happened to your sister." The kit nodded enthusiastic agreement.

Sango shooed Kirara out of her lap and stood. The firecat trotted over to Miroku and rubbed against his leg, purring loudly. "You have always helped us, Lord Monk. Do you think so little of us that you do not think we would help you when you needed it?"

"I--"

"Then it's settled." Inuyasha shifted Kagome's bike into a slightly more comfortable position. "We won't get much shard hunting done until we take care of your little problem, so we might as well deal with it."

Miroku didn't rise from his spot on the ground, only regarded the impatient hanyou for a long moment. "I am really flattered by your offer, but there is one thing I would like to ask first."

"What's that, Lord Miroku?" Kagome asked.

"Is this your usual question, Lord Monk?" Sango sounded irritated. They weren't any closer to finding Naraku and, as time wore on, the monk managed to ask young women 'to bear his child' several times a day.

He shot Sango his best wounded look. "I'm hurt that you think so little of me. Don't you trust me?"

"Of course I trust you." By the look on her face, she wasn't falling for the innocent act. "But lately, you seem to have only one question on your perverted brain."

"Can we get on with this?" Inuyasha demanded irritably. "What is it you want, Miroku?"

Miroku grinned, feeling more cheerful than he had all morning. Baiting his friends was one of his favorite hobbies. "Could we have some lunch? I'm starved."

"You want food at a time like this?" Inuyasha growled and muttered loud enough for Miroku to hear, "Weak humans."

"I'm hungry, too." Shippou ran over to Kagome, holding up his arms in a demand to be picked up. She complied automatically. "Can we eat here, Kagome?"

Inuyasha protested, but Miroku could see that his heart wasn't really in it. His nose started twitching as Kagome pulled sealed containers out of her bag and when she triumphantly held up a ramen cup, he practically started drooling.

Dropping Kagome's bike unceremoniously on the ground, he positioned himself at her shoulder to supervise while she heated the water and prepared his noodles. "I guess we can take the time to eat. Would you hurry up with that water, Kagome?"

"A watched pot never boils, Inuyasha."

"I'm not watching it!"

Miroku's smile faded even as he tuned out their bickering. The cloth covering his cursed hand felt rough against the sensitive skin and the clacking of the beads sounded loud in his ears. A new worry emerged, set free by an innocent kit's questions. Could he be wrong?

Could the curse be affecting Kimiko?

_

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Please remember to review. I would appreciate some feedback. _

**Food for thought:**

Miser: A person who lives poor so that he can die rich


	3. Barriers

_This story probably won't be too many more chapters. After it is done, I promise to start work on 'All of Me' again. As always, comments are welcome. Enjoy the chapter!_

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha

Chapter 3: Barriers

"Are we safe?"

"Is the monk controlling the youkai?"

"Is that girl a youkai, too? She's dressed very strangely."

Miroku was beginning to wish he had listened to Inuyasha. The impatient hanyou had wanted to march up to the doors of the castle and demand entry. It had taken three days of hard travel to reach the place (Hachi kept insisting that he was too tired to transform and carry all of them) which gave Miroku plenty of time to do some thinking. By now, he had managed to convince everyone, including himself, that they should visit the closest village first. They might be able to find out from the locals any problems with the castle or its inhabitants.

He was a coward.

What would he say when he finally met Kimiko? It's not like he could walk up to her and introduce himself as the long-lost brother she never knew she had.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome's exasperated plea reached his ears. Miroku rolled his eyes and prayed to Buddha for strength. They just had to keep the temperamental dog boy from traumatizing the villagers before they found out what they wanted to know.

"Tell those brats to stop staring at me!" he growled, glaring at a small group of children. He took a step in their direction. "Go away! Don't you have chores or something?" The children shrieked and scattered.

Miroku sighed and casually bopped Inuyasha on the head with his staff. "Stop yelling, Inuyasha. The villagers won't tell us anything if you start terrorizing their children."

"Feh." Inuyasha slipped his hands into his sleeves and stuck his nose in the air. That was all the agreement he was likely to get.

It took a considerable amount of charm and a routine blessing of the headman's house before they found anyone who was willing to discuss anything.

"It's strange, it is." The headman scratched his head and squinted at the party with near-sighted befuddlement. "The Lady would come down to the village two or three times a month. Bring sweets to the children and make sure we were getting along passably fair. We were always grateful for her kind interest. That was before."

"Before what?" Miroku gripped his staff until his knuckles turned white. _It couldn't be. Were they already too late?_

Sango placed her hand on his shoulder, squeezing slightly in a gesture of comfort. "Has something happened to the Lady? Or the Lord of the castle?"

The old headman gladly switched his attention to the tajiya, though he kept darting curious glances at the monk. "Don't really know. One day the Lady stopped coming to our village. We were afraid that we had somehow offended her. A group journeyed to the castle with a gift of apology, but they were turned back at the door. Since then, nobody has come out. That was almost three months ago."

"I wonder what could have happened." Kagome shaded her eyes and peered in the direction of the castle, rising black against the westering sun.

"Who knows what happens with humans." Inuyasha glared at a group of overly curious villagers, sending them stumbling in the opposite direction. "Maybe there's a sickness in the castle."

"But why seal off the castle so completely?" Kagome shook her head. "I mean, wouldn't they try to get help?"

Hachi cringed every time somebody looked his way. It was obvious that he didn't want to be here. Inuyasha took great delight in tormenting the timid raccoon-dog and had already promised dire consequences if he should try to run away.

Relaxing his grip on his staff through an extreme act of will, Miroku tried to regain a portion of his spiritual calm, before he did something to the idiotic headman that he would regret. The man couldn't stick to the point for more than two seconds and very little of his information was useful. He was the most placid individual Miroku had ever met, seeming to have absolutely no desire to find out anything that went on outside the village.

"Excuse me, sir," Sango addressed the headman. He looked up from watching Shippou and Kirara playing a complicated game involving four pebbles and a piece of string. "Has anybody gone into the castle in the last few months?"

The headman got a thoughtful look on his face. "Now that you mention it…. A lot of priests and priestesses have been going in. Not a one has ever come out again." His look changed to one of unease. "It is not our place to question the comings and goings of those with spiritual powers. An unhappy priest or miko could place a powerful curse on our humble village."

"Did anybody say why?"

He shook his head. "The miko who attends to our needs makes her home in the castle itself. Shortly after the Lady stopped visiting, many messengers rode out. It was then that the visiting priests and priestesses started arriving." The headman shrugged, plainly not curious in the least. He abruptly turned to Miroku. "Forgive me if I am rude, but you look familiar, Lord Monk. Have you passed this way before?"

Miroku inclined his head respectfully. "I am sorry, headman, you must be mistaken. I have never been in this area before."

The headman frowned and squinted near-sightedly at the monk. "I am sure that I have seen your face somewhere before. Though, at my age, everybody starts to look familiar. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

Miroku shook his head and thanked the old man. He bobbed his head in farewell and tottered off in the direction of his newly-blessed home and the impatient ears of his wife. Shippou abandoned his game with Kirara and leaped for Miroku's shoulder.

"Aren't we going to stay here for the night? Isn't that why you blessed his house?"

"No." Miroku peeled the sticky, dirt-covered kit off of his shoulder, handing him to Kagome. "Something is wrong. We should gain entrance to the castle immediately."

"I told you we should have headed straight for the castle," Inuyasha grumbled. "But, no, you had to talk to the villagers first."

Kagome picked a small twig out of Shippou's hair. "This was a good idea. Now we know that there is something wrong."

"We'd better hurry." Sango scooped Kirara into her arms and studied the rapidly sinking sun. "If we don't get there before the sun sets, we'll probably have to spend the night outside."

Most of the villagers had vanished indoors, but Miroku could still feel their curious and suspicious gazes on the back of his neck. He looked at the castle and, for just a moment, could feel a trace of a demonic aura. It was gone before he could be sure, and might even just be because of his youkai companions. Nobody else seemed to notice anything unusual.

Shippou got Kagome to carry him the entire distance by complaining that he was tired and faint from lack of food. Inuyasha snapped at the kit for whining, and got rebuked by Kagome. He growled and raised his fist to bop the kit. Shippou burst into tears, putting on his best adorable little kid act. Kagome fell for it as she always did and immediately subdued the hanyou. Shippou stuck his tongue out at Inuyasha as he was carried away.

The young kit was asking for a world of hurt the next time Kagome returned to her era for one of her "tests."

Well used to the two youkai rivaling for Kagome's affections, Miroku and Sango mostly ignored them. Kirara insisted on walking after only a short distance. She scuttled into the long grass on the side of the path and returned a moment later with a mouse tail hanging out of her mouth. She slurped it down like a ramen noodle and licked her lips in satisfaction. Kagome shuddered and looked the other way. The girl could handle youkai guts and bloody battles, but turned green at the sight of Kirara eating a mouse.

They reached the door when the sun was still a thin sliver above the horizon. Nobody stopped them or called out and the place fairly radiated spiritual energy. Miroku frowned.

"Do you feel that?" he asked.

"I sense a lot of purifying energy." Kagome's eyes were slightly unfocused, like they were when she was looking for shards. "It's like there are many spells layered on top of each other. And… I sense a Shikon shard!"

"Where?" Inuyasha's ears pricked up, and he looked excited for the first time all day. "Are you sure?"

Kirara walked up to the door and scratched at it experimentally. There was a giant flash. She yowled, jumping away. Turning to look at the door, she fluffed out her fur and hissed.

"There's a barrier of some kind." Miroku held his hand in front of him and concentrated, trying to understand the nature of the spell. "It's designed to keep youkai from entering, or to purify them. I'm not sure."

Inuyasha tilted his head to glare at the blank windows high on the wall. "Hey! Come down here and let us in!"

An arrow shot down from one of the windows. Inuyasha jumped backwards and it hit the ground where he had been standing only seconds before. Growling, he started to draw Tetsusaiga.

"Stupid humans! We're here to help!"

"OSUWARI!"

Inuyasha glared at Kagome as he peeled himself off of the ground. "What do you think you're doing, wench?"

Kagome glared back. "We're not going to get invited inside if you keep threatening people!" Shippou squeaked as Kagome's anger translated into her squeezing the breath out of him.

"They shot an arrow at me!"

"Destroying their castle with the Tetsusaiga isn't going to help!"

"Do you have a better idea?"

Miroku brought his staff down sharply on the hanyou's hard head. Sometimes that was the only way to get him to shut up long enough to listen to reason. With an ease born of long practice, he ignored the glare Inuyasha directed at him. "Be quiet," he hissed. Inuyasha immediately started sulking while Kagome dropped her eyes in apology, loosening her fierce grip on the kit. Shippou gasped and took up a new position on Kagome's shoulder where he figured he would be safer.

Miroku grinned in the direction of the unseen watchers. "We heard that you were in need of spiritual cleansing. We have traveled far in order to offer our aid." He kept the friendly smile plastered on his face, despite the strain it put on his cheeks. Appearances were everything. People had to believe that he was trustworthy.

Slowly the door opened. A well-dressed guard peered at them suspiciously. "What about those youkai? How do we know that they didn't cause our problems in the first place?" He held a sword in one hand. Behind him stood several heavily armed guards.

"I swear on my honor as a Buddhist monk that our youkai companions would never bring misfortune on your house." Miroku bowed his head, the others following his lead. Kagome elbowed Inuyasha before he grumbled and inclined his head slightly.

The guard still looked skeptical. After a whispered consultation among themselves, one of the guards disappeared into the depths of the castle at a fast trot. The next few minutes passed in uneasy silence.

"What do you mean, 'there are youkai at the door'?"

An old woman hobbled into view, talking loudly with the guard. She clutched a knobby walking stick in one hand, but most of her weight appeared to be supported by the man. He glanced nervously at the group and tried to shush her.

The crone whacked the guard on the shin with her stick. He winced but said nothing, his stoic response being proof that this was not new behavior.

"Let go of me, boy." She shook his hand off of her arm. "I'm not so decrepit that I can't deal with a couple of youkai." Muttering under her breath, she pushed past the remaining guards until she was standing right in front of the group. Miroku opened his mouth to speak, but she wasn't looking at him.

"You're a miko," she announced abruptly, staring hard at Kagome. "Don't try to deny it, girl. I may be old, but I'm not blind."

"I--I--" Kagome stammered.

Abruptly she looked at Miroku. "And a monk." Her gaze flicked to Sango. "And a tajiya."

She turned her sharp eyes on Inuyasha, who glared back defiantly. "An inu hanyou who travels with a miko, a monk, and a tajiya. You must be Inuyasha." With an impatient wave of her arm she beckoned them all inside. "What are you standing out there for? My old bones can't take the chill. Come in, and shut the door behind you."

"Miko-sama," the first guard protested weakly. "We can't let youkai into the castle. The Lord said--"

"The Lord won't thank you if you let the only people who have a prayer of helping walk away." She seized Miroku's wrist with fingers like talons and practically dragged him inside.

"No--Wait--" The old miko was very strong for someone who looked like she was only a few years away from death's door.

Shippou inched closer and carefully stretched out one little hand, feeling for the barrier. He cringed, but when the blast of purifying energy didn't come, cautiously opened his eyes.

"Hey, the barrier's gone!"

"Of course it is," the old woman snorted, still clutching Miroku's wrist in a vice-like grip. "I took it down myself. Can't go purifying the ones who come to help us, can we?"

Kagome looked at Sango, shrugged helplessly, and crossed the threshold. After a minute, so did the rest of the group, with Inuyasha bringing up the rear and scowling at anybody who glanced his way.

Miroku felt relieved when the old woman finally released him. He resisted the urge to rub his wrist. For a withered old crone, she had a surprisingly hard grip. "We have heard about your troubles, and we are here to--"

"I know why you're here," she interrupted. "The others had no chance, but you--"

"What are you babbling about, you senile old woman?" Inuyasha burst out, ignoring the mortified hiss of "Inuyasha!" from Kagome. "We didn't know we were coming here until a few days ago! How the hell could you know what--" He cut off as a large knobby stick connected with his skull.

"No interrupting!" She swung her stick again. Inuyasha ducked behind Kagome. Grumbling, he decided to sulk instead and radiate general bad temper. For probably the millionth time, Miroku wondered what Kagome saw in him. "I have my ways, and I know why you're here."

She went back to ignoring the others, fixing her beady eyes on the monk. "You are here to break the curse. The hime has been possessed."

**

* * *

Food for thought: **

Bad planning on your part does not necessarily constitute an automatic emergency on my part.


	4. Conversation

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha

Chapter 4: Conversation

That simple word got everyone's attention. Possession was never a thing to be taken lightly. People who were possessed tended to try and kill those closest to them. Just look what had happened when the black miko, Tsubaki, took control of Kagome. Inuyasha nearly ended up with an arrow through his chest again!

"Possessed!" Miroku exclaimed. "Are you sure?" He tightened his grip on his staff, it being the only thing that was keeping his legs from buckling under him. Sango moved closer, unobtrusively offering support.

"What are her symptoms?" she asked, giving Miroku time to recover his monkly aplomb. "Has she been walking the halls at odd hours? Do strange things happen to servants who get near her?"

"Nothing like that." The old miko answered Sango's question, but kept her eyes fixed on Miroku. "She merely refuses to wake, and there is a barrier of dark energy around her body. We know that she breathes, that her heart beats, but that is all."

"We've dealt with possession before," Inuyasha bragged. "We'll drive the sneaky little youkai out of her and rip his guts out, and be done in time for breakfast."

"We do this sort of thing all the time." Shippou puffed his chest out and stood on tiptoe to look taller. "And then Miroku can talk to--"

Miroku scooped up the kit, clamping a hand over his mouth. He wasn't about to claim a family tie with Kimiko, not when he suffered under his own curse. Someone might decide he was to blame. "Why don't you take us to the hime and we'll see what we can do?"

"You look familiar," the old woman said abruptly, studying Miroku with shrewd eyes. "Have you been to the castle before? Do I know you?"

He swallowed hard. All these old people staring at him as if they knew him was making him uncomfortable. Maybe Hachi wasn't as trustworthy as he thought. The raccoon-dog had taken his form before. He just might do it again. "Never been here before, but I get that all the time. People think I remind them of somebody when I don't." He grinned. "Why don't we get settled? I'm sure you don't want Kagome to leave her bicycle in the middle of the courtyard. And then we can go see Kimi--I mean the hime."

Turning to look at the strangest member of the group, the old miko seemed to really see Kagome for the first time. She clucked disapprovingly at the future girl's short kimono and bare legs and frowned at the bicycle. "What an unusual contraption." Carefully, she ran one rough hand over the handlebars, giving the bike the same scrutiny that she had given Kagome.

Inuyasha growled as the old woman pinched a piece of Kagome's shirt between her thumb and forefinger. Kagome looked rather uncomfortable. "Strange material. You must tell me how it is made."

The hanyou pushed between them and glared at the woman who had dared to touch his Kagome. Miroku sighed at Inuyasha's possessive attitude. One of these days he and Kagome would admit how they felt about each other, and both of them would be easier to live with. But right now all Inuyasha did was offend people and annoy Kagome.

We'll have time to talk later." Miroku interrupted the potentially explosive scene. "We're here to help the hime."

Shooting one last speculative look at the fuming youkai, the old woman nodded. "This way."

"What about my bike?" Kagome asked. "I can't just leave it here."

"The guards will take care of your contraption. Don't worry about it."

"The headman in the village told us that many priests and priestesses have entered the castle in the last few months, but none have left," Sango commented as the group followed the woman deeper into the castle. Hachi looked thoroughly miserable as he trailed slowly after them.

Kirara wrinkled her nose and sneezed. Miroku agreed with the little firecat. The demonic aura was stronger inside the castle, and growing stronger the farther they went.

"Orders of the Lord." The old woman led them up a narrow flight of stairs. "Anyone can try to and break the possession, but those who fail are not allowed to leave."

A look of dismay crossed Shippou's face. He wound his tiny fists into Kagome's hair. "You mean we have to stay here _forever_?"

"Only until the Lord has you executed for failing to help his wife."

Shippou turned pale and his eyes widened noticeably.

"We won't fail." Miroku brought his staff down hard on the stone stair, the sound echoing loudly off the walls and ceiling, and ending the conversation. _We can't fail. I promised myself that nothing would ever happen to Kimiko._

"We're here."

Miroku stepped into the lavishly decorated room, looking around curiously. All of the furnishings were of the highest quality, and the view from the single window was simply breathtaking.

Shippou immediately sprang from Kagome's shoulder and ran to look outside. "Wow! You can see the whole countryside from up here!"

"Where's the hime?" Inuyasha demanded, dismissing the room as unimportant after one quick glance.

"You'll see her soon. I'll have a servant bring some supper. Perhaps you would like to bathe?" Kagome looked excited by that idea. One of her constant complaints was that the only time she got a hot bath was when they managed to find a hot spring. _Her era must be amazing, to have as much hot water as you wanted whenever you wanted._

"Forget the bath," Inuyasha said dismissively. "Bring us some food and then we can take care of whatever is possessing the hime."

Kagome elbowed the hanyou who grunted in annoyance. "Don't listen to him. We'd love a bath. We've been traveling for days."

Inuyasha rubbed the sore spot on his ribs where her elbow had connected. "What do you need a bath for? You're just going to get dirty again when we leave tomorrow. Besides, you had one two days ago."

The girl glared at him. Miroku prudently backed away, so as to not get caught in the crossfire. "I smell like sweat. I'm dusty and my hair needs to be washed."

"You always smell!" Inuyasha never knew when to quit. Miroku wouldn't have been surprised if smoke started coming out of Kagome's ears.

"I do not smell!"

"You're the one who said it, not me! I'm just agreeing with you!"

Kagome clenched her fists, obviously fighting for control. "OSUWARI!"

"Hey!" Inuyasha's body met the stone floor of the room with a painful thud.

"Most interesting." The old miko, mostly forgotten until now, studied the prone hanyou thoughtfully. "I haven't seen a subduing spell like that in years."

"The wise miko, Kaede, created it just for me." Kagome pointedly turned her back on the prone hanyou. She smiled charmingly at the old woman. "We would be delighted to take you up on your offer of a bath."

Kagome gathered up her bathing things, drawing more curious comments from the woman, and she and Sango followed her out of the room in the direction of the bath house. Shippou scampered after them, asking Kagome if she would scrub his back for him. Kirara jumped up into the windowsill and settled down for a wash and a snooze. Hachi joined her to stare morosely out at the darkened countryside.

"She's gone, Inuyasha. You can get up now."

Inuyasha grumbled and pushed himself to his feet. With a scowl on his face, he retreated to a corner of the room and lowered himself to the floor. Tetsusaiga's hilt rested securely against his shoulder. He closed his eyes, but Miroku knew from the constant moving of his ears that he was far from asleep.

"What's wrong with you, Inuyasha?" he demanded when he tired of watching the hanyou twitch. "You've been grumpier than usual for days. Did you and Kagome-sama have a fight?"

"None of your business," Inuyasha snapped. He opened his eyes, fixing the monk with a hard yellow stare. "Aren't you going to sneak off to the bath house and try to get a peek at Sango?"

Miroku leaned his staff against the nearest wall and dropped wearily into a sitting position with his back pressed against the cool stone. "That is one of my few pleasures in life. Of course, it is much easier to 'peek' when there are forest sounds to help disguise my presence." He chanced a look at his companion. Inuyasha was slowly putting a few facts together, and it looked like he wasn't too happy with the results. The girls never bathed alone. To spy on one was to have a good view of the other. "You should try it sometime. Did you know that Kagome has the cutest little mole right on her--"

"Finish that sentence," he growled, one clawed hand grasping Miroku by the front of the robes and their noses barely an inch apart, "and your sister will be an only child."

Miroku swallowed hard and nodded. The touchy hanyou grunted and released him to resume his previous position. Running a hand over the front of his robe, he sighed as his fingers encountered a new rip in the cloth. He really needed some new clothes before these were completely reduced to tatters.

"I overheard Kagome talking to Sango," Inuyasha announced abruptly. Miroku raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. "She said that she has 'date' when she returns to her era."

The monk nodded sympathetically, privately wondering what the hell a "date" was. It sounded bad if it made the moody hanyou this cranky.

"Do you even know what a 'date' is?" Miroku shook his head. He thought Kagome always returned to her era for "tests" not "dates."

"It's when a girl goes someplace with a boy who isn't her grandfather or brother. Alone. And they might hold hands or talk or--or--Gaah!" Inuyasha drove his fist into the floor with enough force to crack the stone. Hachi jumped and sidled farther away from the two until he ran into the wall on the far side of the room. Kirara opened one eye to regard the hanyou curiously before sighing and resuming her interrupted nap.

"I can smell boys on her hands and clothes sometimes, but she told me it was nothing to worry about. And now I find out that she's spending time with them and being nice to them just like that wimpy wolf Kouga. Well, she's not returning to her era until she promises to give up this 'dating' nonsense. There are more important things she could be doing, like finding the rest of the Shikon no Tama."

Miroku remained silent all through Inuyasha's little rant. When Inuyasha finished, he glanced over at the hanyou. Inuyasha had a death grip on Tetsusaiga and was glaring at an innocent bug taking a casual stroll across the floor. It was a wonder the bug didn't burst into flames.

"Have you mentioned any of this to Kagome-sama?"

Inuyasha snorted. "Course not. I'm not that stupid. She just can't go through the well ever again. I'll destroy it first."

Miroku sighed. As entertaining as it usually was to needle Inuyasha about Kagome, this time he just wasn't interested. "Why don't you talk to Kagome-sama? She's a reasonable girl. You won't get very far if you keep running away from your feelings."

"Just like you," Inuyasha shot back. "I don't see you saying anything to Sango. And those little grabs for her ass annoy all of us. There are less painful ways to get her attention."

"Sango and I have a perfect understanding." Miroku forced an outward appearance of calm on his face, retreating from emotions that were too confusing to examine closely. "She has such a firm, round ass. And it feels so nice under my hand. It would be wrong of me to not show my appreciation and admiration."

"You appreciate and she slaps you silly. Crazy humans. And people think youkai are complex."

Not interested in continuing the current conversation, Miroku didn't respond. Briefly, he considered leaving the room and seeing if the girls were still bathing. Looking at Sango after her bath was almost as good as during--when her skin was rosy from scrubbing and with her damp hair curling gently down her back and around her face.

"What are you going to do about the hime?" Inuyasha's rough voice jerked him from his very pleasant daydreams.

"What do you mean?"

Inuyasha snorted. "Don't play dumb. Are you going to tell her that she has a brother? Don't you think she deserves to know?"

Miroku had to stop and think about that. Some part of him had assumed that he would tell her. A much larger part was afraid of what her reaction would be. Would she accept him with open arms? Would the guards immediately seize him as a dangerous imposter and throw him in a dingy little cell or, even worse, execute him? And that was assuming that they would be successful in breaking the curse.

"Thought so." Inuyasha smirked with a self-satisfied twitch of his lips when several minutes passed with no answer from the monk. "Everybody thinks that other people shouldn't keep secrets from friends and family, but the rules don't apply to them."

"It's complicated, Inuyasha."

The hanyou ignored him and continued talking. "For somebody who doesn't flinch when faced by a youkai ten times his size, you are such a coward. She should at least know that if you die, there is a good chance that she will end up with a kazaana in the middle of her hand."

Miroku clenched his teeth, suddenly annoyed with Inuyasha's constant badgering. He pushed himself to his feet and stalked over to the window. Blindly, he stared out over the countryside. There really wasn't anything to see. The skies were clear, but the tiny sliver of moon gave hardly any light, leaving everything shrouded in shadows. He was aware of Inuyasha's eyes boring a hole in his back.

Absently, he ran a hand over Kirara's back and scratched her ears. The firecat lifted her head and stretched, giving his fingers a brief lick. "I'll think about it."

**

* * *

Food for thought:**

I understand life isn't fair, but why couldn't it just once be unfair in my favor?

Christy Murphy-


	5. Rumors

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha

Chapter 5: Rumors

The girls returned from their bath relaxed and smiling. A servant had already entered and departed. He apologized repeatedly for the simplicity of the meal, explaining that supper had already been eaten and this was all that they were able to put together on short notice. While he bowed and stammered, he kept one nervous eye on Inuyasha. The irritable hanyou finally growled at him to leave the food and go. The poor servant nearly tripped over himself in his haste to comply. Kagome took her usual position next to Inuyasha, not seeming to mind his grumpy silence.

Miroku picked at his food, not really hungry. _When would they get to see Kimiko? And what kind of curse was she under anyway?_ Mentally, he listed every curse and exorcism technique he knew. There could be no failure. _But what if they did? He couldn't fail, he ju—_

"Hey, Miroku!" Shippou leaned over to examine the contents of the monk's tray. "Are you going to eat that?"

"Help yourself." Miroku pushed his mostly untouched dinner in the kit's direction. Sango and Kagome exchanged concerned glances.

"Everything will be fine, Lord Monk," Sango said.

Miroku smiled weakly. The old miko entered the room with the same servant who had brought their dinner behind her. He gathered bowls and trays and vanished again without saying a word. Several more servants brought in extra bedding, casting nervous glances at the various youkai in the room.

"Well," Inuyasha demanded. "Do we get to see the hime or not? It's kind of hard to undo a possession when you're not even in the same room as the victim."

"Patience, hanyou." The woman seemed totally unconcerned with Inuyasha's rude attitude. "The Lord visits his wife every evening. No one is allowed to disturb him."

"Should we wait until morning to see the hime?" Kagome asked. "The Lord must be very concerned. We wouldn't want to get in his way."

"The Lord has retired," she responded. "The possession seems weaker during the night. Now might be your best chance." Although she was talking to Kagome, she kept her eyes on Miroku. There was a thoughtful, almost puzzled look on her face.

"Will we meet the Lord before we try to help the hime?" Sango examined the edge of Hiraikotsu that she had been honing. She looked up and followed the old miko's gaze to the monk. Miroku shifted uncomfortably, wondering again why everyone kept staring at him.

"The Lord has spoken to no outsiders since the hime was possessed. You must think carefully. There will be only one chance for success or failure. And if you fail, you will never leave this castle."

Miroku looked around at the circle of his friends. His gaze passed over Hachi, moaning miserable to himself in a corner. The raccoon-dog would be less than useless in this instance. He had no abilities beyond his shape changing and his courage was tentative at best.

Depending on the possession, Sango's abilities as a taijya could be helpful. She knew quite a bit about youkai and their weaknesses, and was a skilled fighter. Kagome, though untrained, was a potentially powerful miko. It might be possible to channel her powers in a productive direction.

Inuyasha and Kirara, alone or together, had the strength to subdue the fiercest youkai. Miroku hoped it wouldn't come to that, because he hated to unleash the hanyou and his Tetsusaiga on anything while it was still inside the castle. For a little kit, Shippou could be brave. Foxfire might not do more than annoy the youkai, but as a distraction it was great.

After cataloging the group's collected strengths, Miroku felt a bit more confident. Of course, he couldn't be sure of anything until he knew what kind of possession it was. Smoothly, he rose to his feet and retrieved his staff from where he had left it.

"No time like the present." He smiled to disguise the nervous, fluttery feeling in his stomach. "Please lead the way, Miko-sama."

"I still say I know you," the old woman announced abruptly. She shook her head and led the way out of the room. "My mind may not be what it used to be, but I'll remember eventually."

Shippou trotted after Miroku on his short little legs. He gripped the frayed edge of Miroku's robe in small hands and tugged insistently. Sighing, he scooped the kit off of the ground and deposited him on his shoulder. _Kagome spoils the kit, carrying him or allowing him to ride on her shoulder. Now he expects the same treatment from everybody._

"Ask her," Shippou whispered loudly in Miroku's ear. His bushy tail swished from side to side, tickling the back of the monk's neck. "Ask her about Ki--the hime's family."

"Is there something you would like to know, Lord Monk?" the old miko asked mildly.

Miroku flushed and carefully removed Shippou's hand from his ear. This was not how he had planned on starting this particular conversation. Though, without the kit's prodding, he might not have said anything.

"My father traveled through this area many years ago." Miroku paused to gather his thoughts. "He spoke highly of the old daimyo. I was wondering what became of him."

The old woman shot him a shrewd glance over her shoulder. "You ask peculiar questions, Lord Monk. The daimyo was old and died when the hime was barely out of infancy. Fortunately, the hime had already been promised to the youngest son of a neighboring daimyo. The marriage ceremony was performed by proxy and the Lord came to govern our lands."

"Wasn't the Lord too young to govern? What about a regent?" Miroku was slightly disappointed that he wouldn't be able to meet the old daimyo, but from what Mushin had said, he hadn't really expected the old man to still be alive.

"The Lord had spent twelve years since he attained manhood patrolling his father's lands." She sighed. "The old daimyo had expected to live for several more years, despite his failing health, and refused to let the Lord set up residency in his domain. I advised him to give more power to the one who would one day govern his lands, but he ignored me. Stubborn old fool."

"What about the daimyo's wife?" Miroku tried to keep his voice casual, betraying none of the tension he felt. Even if he could never tell her who he was, he would like to see his mother at least once.

The old miko sighed. "She had hoped to be there to see her daughter into adulthood, but it was not to be. Barely two winters after the death of the daimyo she died of the coughing sickness."

"Oh." Miroku had no memories of his mother, so why did it hurt so much to know that she was dead. He fell silent, lost in thought.

"What brings you and your companions to our humble domain, Lord Monk?" she asked abruptly.

He started slightly and tried to think up a good reason that would not reveal the whole truth. "We heard rumors of a Shikon shard in the area. My companions and I are dedicated to locating all of the shards and eradicating the youkai, Naraku, once and for all."

"Is that your only reason?" The old woman's gaze was disturbingly sharp.

Miroku swallowed hard. "When we heard of your plight from the villagers, we had no choice but to offer our assistance. Tell me, why are there so many barriers surrounding this castle?"

"The Lord has decreed that all who fail to lift the curse should pay with their lives. In order to prolong their lives for a few more days, each one has erected a barrier of protection to prevent any harm from befalling the castle or its occupants. The barriers allow only those whom I deem worthy to pass in or out." For the first time, a hint of worry shadowed her eyes. "The hime fights, but she cannot last much longer. And then all those lives will be forfeited."

Shippou jumped from his shoulder to run ahead, but he called the little kit back. With the hime under some sort of possession or curse, the people inside the castle were understandably wary of any kind of youkai—no matter how cute or innocent-looking. Shippou wasn't stupid; he came back immediately and leapt for Kagome's arms. She greeted him with a smile that earned a deeper scowl from Inuyasha.

They passed row after row of rooms, most of them seemingly empty though Miroku could feel curious eyes following their every move. As they passed one of the rooms, a small dark-haired boy dashed through the doorway and crashed into Inuyasha. A young girl who had been chasing him barely stopped in time. Inuyasha grunted with the impact.

The child stumbled back to stand beside his sister. Two pairs of wide violet eyes in identical faces stared at the small group of strangers. An instant later, an older woman came puffing after the children. Her eyes grew round when she saw who was before her.

"Forgive me, Miko-sama." She bowed and grabbed hold of the children's hands, pulling them with her as she straightened and backed away. "The children are restless since being confined to the castle."

"The restriction will be lifted soon," the old woman replied. The nursemaid bowed again and hustled the children back into their rooms.

Miroku stared in the direction they had disappeared in. The old miko followed his gaze. "The hime's children," she said with a fond smile. "Twins are not common. Even though one is a girl, the people rejoiced that a healthy male heir had been born. It is a little known secret that the hime herself was a twin. I am one of the few who remembers that night."

Miroku almost choked. Kagome patted him on the back until he could breathe again.

"She was?" Sango prompted.

"I had just arrived at the castle from the last village I had served. The resident midwife had been attending the hime since midday. As a miko, I was called upon to prevent evil from entering the newborn baby. Near dawn twin cries split the air as the hime was delivered of a son, closely followed by a daughter. The hime's personal servants, including the midwife, disappeared after that night." She shrugged. "The old daimyo presented Kimiko to the people a few days later. I know my place and I have never spoken of what I know. It is possible that the other child did not survive, but I have always harbored suspicions. A guest of the daimyo, a traveling monk, soon departed with a heavy bag and a small bundle that he carried as if it was something precious."

Shippou squirmed in Kagome's arms. "Great story! I bet the baby was Mir—" Kagome shoved a lollypop in the kit's mouth. She always kept a supply of them handy for situations just like this.

"Who knows what could have happened!" Kagome smiled brightly. Shippou, realizing that he had almost said something he shouldn't, mumbled around his lollypop and nodded vigorously.

"Who knows and who cares," Inuyasha grumped. "Let's just get this over with so we can leave. This place is making me edgy."

"I agree, Master Miroku," Hachi piped up for the first time in hours. "You don't need me here. Couldn't I wait for you outside the castle?"

"No one leaves." The reminder from the old miko caused Hachi to lower his ears. He dragged his feet like someone being led to his execution.

Kirara mewed and wiggled out of Sango's arms. She ran forward to trot at Miroku's heels with her tails held high, looking determined.

The old miko dismissed the youkai, her attention once again on Miroku. "You bear a strong resemblance to the children. I would almost say that you are related."

"I have a common sort of face," Miroku replied. "Both my father and my grandfather were quite popular with the ladies. Who knows how far their blessings may have spread."

She shrugged, still looking faintly suspicious. "I suppose. Don't worry, Lord Monk, I will remember. Now, tell me about this Shikon shard rumor that brought you to us."

Kagome quickened her pace until she was near enough to talk without shouting. "I could feel the presence of a shard as soon as we reached the castle. It's faint but definitely there. Have you noticed anything unusual, Miko-sama?"

The old miko gave a bark of humorless laughter. "Besides our hime becoming possessed? Everything was fine until two weeks ago. The hime made one of her frequent trips to the village. She complained of a headache and went to bed early. The next morning she wouldn't' wake, no matter how hard we tried."

"How could you be sure it was possession?" Sango asked. "Maybe the hime ate something that didn't agree with her."

The look she leveled at the young tajiya made Sango fidget uncomfortably. "I am a miko. It didn't take much to sense the evil aura surrounding the hime. The possession didn't seem to be too strong at first, but something is boosting the youkai's power, making it difficult to get rid of."

"You say that all of this happened two weeks ago," Miroku clarified, his hands tightening on his staff as something occurred to him. "And the hime hasn't spoken or moved since. Why hasn't she starved to death?"

The white-knuckled grip was not lost on the old miko. "The dark barrier surrounding the hime keeps her in an enchanted sleep. The youkai does not wish to destroy her yet. When the possession is broken and the hime wakes, it will be as if no time has passed for her."

Miroku heaved a sigh of relief and relaxed fractionally. "That will make our job much easier. I have heard of this type of possession. It is rare that the youkai capable of using it would be able to affect something as large as a human. I have never heard of anything larger than a dog being used in this way. Of course, if this youkai has a shard of the jewel, that would explain things."

"But what does it want?" Kagome frowned in thought, absently scratching behind Shippou's ears as if he were a cat. Shippou leaned into her hand, going nearly cross-eyed with bliss.

"Who cares?" Inuyasha growled, glaring at the kit in Kagome's arms. His hands twitched, but he managed to restrain himself. "We're going to find it and we're going to kill it. We don't need to know its reasoning." Miroku spared the young hanyou a brief thought of sympathy. If he'd just stop scowling so much or insulting Kagome every chance he got, she would probably show him the same affection she gave Shippou. Probably more if Sango was right about the depth of her feelings for the hanyou.

The old miko made a sound of agreement and abruptly stopped outside of a closed door with two guards stationed on either side. There were a few grunts as the rest of the group tried to avoid crashing into each other as they came to a stop. Kirara bounced off his leg with an indignant mew, sat down, and began to wash as if that was what she had intended to do all along. Kagome stumbled backwards to avoid colliding with the old miko. Inuyasha automatically reached out to steady her. He kept his hands on her waist a moment longer than necessary and Miroku saw his nostrils flare. Scent was very important to a youkai and Inuyasha's instincts were pressuring him to check that no strange males had been near the young miko. The oblivious hanyou probably didn't even realize what he was doing, but both of them were blushing when Kagome moved away with a stammered "thanks."

"The hime's quarters."

**

* * *

Food for thought:** I always try to go the extra mile at work, but my boss always finds me and brings me back. 


	6. Awakening

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha

Chapter 6: Awakening

His legs refused to move. Miroku could not make himself walk past the guards and through the doorway. _I am a monk,_ he chanted silently to himself. _I can do this. Just walk through that door. It's no big deal. It's not like she's going to bite me or try to kill me or--_

Inuyasha shoved him hard with a hand between his shoulder blades. "Get a move on, bouzou. We don't have all night."

Miroku stumbled, caught himself, and directed a half-hearted glare at his youkai companion. When this was all over, he would have to have a long discussion with Inuyasha about the virtues of patience.

The old miko muttered something less than flattering under her breath and grabbed Miroku's wrist in her talon-like fingers, her nails digging into the soft skin. Miroku winced and followed her rather than take the risk that she might dislocate his arm by dragging him after her. The guards regarded the strangely mixed group dubiously, moving their weapons into a more battle-ready position.

"They're here to break the curse," the old miko snapped. "Don't interfere." Whatever the guards' orders might have been, they obviously knew better than to anger the woman. They resumed their posts on either side of the door, carefully ignoring the various youkai.

Shippou poked one of them in the leg and, when there was no reaction, grew bolder. "Hey, look at this! They're like statues." He made a grotesque face and hopped on one foot. "Nyah, nyah! This is--ouch!" Inuyasha snatched him off the floor by his tail, and dropped him in Kagome's arms with one more bump on his head.

"What'd you do that for?" the kit wailed, hands clasped over his newest hanyou-inflicted bump. "That hurt! Kagome, Inuyasha's being mean to me again!" He turned large, tear-filled eyes up to the girl's face to find that she was actually frowning at him.

Miroku noticed a small smirk on Inuyasha's face. It was rare that the kitsune kit would get in trouble for anything he did--from chewing on Inuyasha's ears to over salting the stew when he tried to help with dinner. Even when Shippou deliberately goaded Inuyasha, Miroku wisely never interfered. Kagome fell for the tears and cute face every time, and refused to listen when her companions tried to explain the nature of a trickster.

"That wasn't very nice, Shippou." The kit's eyes grew round in shock and the tears mysteriously disappeared. "Things are edgy enough with the hime being possessed. You don't need to make it worse with your teasing."

"I'm sorry, Kagome." More tears filled the kit's eyes, probably real this time. With the death of his father and his adoption into the group by Kagome and Inuyasha, he had come to rely on them to replace the parental figure he had lost. Kagome's good opinion meant more to him than anything.

"That's okay." Kagome reassured him with a hug, and then turned her attention to the hanyou nearby. "But you didn't need to hit him, Inuyasha. Apologize."

Inuyasha immediately bristled. "I am not apologizing to that brat! He deserved it!" He pointedly turned his back on her and stuck his nose in the air.

Kagome opened her mouth and Miroku was sure that the hanyou was in for a really painful sit. By the stiffness in his posture, Inuyasha probably expected it too.

"Fine." Everyone in the room from the guards to the old miko (with the exception of the unconscious hime) flinched at the controlled coldness in Kagome's tone. "But until you apologize, I'm not fixing you any more ramen."

"What!" Inuyasha whipped around to stare at her. "You can't do that!" Kagome could have threatened to take away Tetsusaiga and gotten a less horrified response.

"You heard me."

Inuyasha crossed his arms over his chest. "Well, I'm not apologizing." Miroku rolled his eyes and prayed for patience. Why did Inuyasha and Kagome pick now to have a power struggle?

Kagome opened her mouth, but Sango stopped her with a gentle hand on her shoulder. "I agree that Inuyasha was being rude, but maybe this isn't the best time or place to have this discussion."

For a long moment, nobody moved. Then Kagome relaxed and directed a general smile at everyone except Inuyasha. "You're absolutely right, Sango. I'll get that apology from Inuyasha later." The hanyou in question flattened his ears slightly, but didn't say anything.

Miroku sighed in relief. He wondered if his youkai companion was deliberately goading the girl. The "date" thing probably bothered him more than he was willing to admit. Of course, if Inuyasha was a little nicer, Kagome most likely wouldn't feel the urge to spend time with other boys.

Carefully composing himself, Miroku looked around the room for the first time. It was distressingly bare, with no windows or decorations and a plain shoji screen separating it from another room. There was only a simple futon with a bucket of water and a cloth sitting next to it. A soft cushion for sitting rested on the floor on the other side of the futon.

At first glance, the hime appeared to be asleep. She lay very still, covered by an intricately embroidered sheet. Only the slight rise and fall of her chest betrayed that she still lived. Then Miroku looked at her face.

His breath caught. She was beautiful with a gentleness of spirit that was apparent even though she slept. A few strands of soft black hair trailed across her brow from where they had escaped the confines of her veil. Miroku felt sure that if her eyes were to open in that instant, they would be as violet as his. For the first time since discovering the difference between boys and girls there was no stirring of lechery in his heart. All he wanted was to make everything better and then make sure nothing could harm his beloved sister ever again.

"Will you need any assistance, Lord Monk?" The old woman's question reminded him that there was still work to do. He took a deep breath to calm himself.

"That won't be necessary," he reassured her. "My companions are more than capable of providing me with anything I might need."

She directed a sharp look at him and seemed about to say something. Instead, she nodded. "Very well. I will wait outside with the guards. You have until the sun sets tomorrow night to break the curse. You know what will happen should you fail." With those last words of "comfort," she bowed briefly to all of them and left the room, shutting the door firmly behind her.

"Good riddance," Inuyasha growled, glaring at the closed door. "We don't need some interfering dried up old prune hovering over us. Let's hurry up and get this over with."

"What's wrong with you lately, Inuyasha?" Kagome demanded. "First your rough treatment of Shippou and now you're being inexcusably rude. Explain yourself."

The hanyou flattened his ears and turned his glare on Kagome. "All right, Ka-go-me. There is something going on and I think you know what it is. You--"

"Tomorrow night's the new moon," Miroku interrupted hastily. "You know how cranky he gets." The last thing anybody needed right now was for those two to indulge in another pre-relationship fight. "Not now," he whispered out of the side of his mouth, certain that the hanyou's sensitive hearing would pick up the words. Inuyasha grunted, but didn't say anything.

Kagome's face underwent a complete transformation. A mortified blush spread across her cheeks. "I'm so sorry, Inuyasha. With all that's happened recently, I guess I forgot."

"Keh."

"We're losing precious time," Sango reminded them.

Miroku immediately crouched down beside Kimiko to examine her, this time looking for anything out of the ordinary. The dark barrier surrounding her had grown noticeably stronger within the small amount of time they had been in the room. Her skin, pale even beyond what could be considered normal, had a waxy look to it. Her breathing, too deep for mere sleep, remained unchanged. He reached down to touch her face. There was a large crackle of energy and the barrier pulsed wildly for a moment. Miroku snatched his hand back with a startled cry.

Kagome gasped. "I can sense the shard. I can't tell exactly where it is, but it's somewhere near her head."

Miroku sat back on his heels. "Okay. I'm pretty sure this is a type of parasitic youkai that feeds on the energy created by living beings. Usually they are small and weak, unable to subdue anything larger than a dog. This one obviously found a shard and is using that to boost its power. With Kimiko as its host, it feeds off of anyone who comes too near."

He stood up and walked in a circle around Kimiko, brow furrowed in concentration. "The priests and priestesses who tried to drive it out only succeeded in making it stronger. Look, you can see that the barrier has grown. Soon, it will be able to drain everyone in the castle and then it will be too powerful to stop."

"How do we stop the blasted youkai without feeding it and making it even stronger?" Inuyasha moved his hand to grip the hilt of Tetsusaiga. Miroku didn't think the hanyou was stupid enough to use his sword in a confined space, but he hastened to outline his plan.

"We need to draw it out."

"How?" Shippou edged closer to the barrier only to be snatched up by Kagome. The poor girl was shaking and looked deathly pale. As sensitive as she was to shards and tainted auras, this must be torture for her.

Sango shifted the weight of Hiraikotsu on her back. She had probably brought the weapon out of habit. In the limited space, she wouldn't be able to swing the huge bone without risk of hitting someone. "That's where you come in, Inuyasha."

"Huh?" Surprise flitted across the hanyou's face.

"You are the strongest fighter here," she explained. "I have never dealt with this type of youkai. My father mentioned them during lessons, but they were believed to be extinct. The only way to evict them from their chosen host is to offer them an even stronger one."

Miroku nodded. "That's right. This particular youkai has grown strong enough that it is sure to be cocky. If it senses a stronger soul nearby that is suitable, it will abandon its current host. Of course, then we have only a limited amount of time to destroy it before it can move on to a new host or return to the old one."

"Can't you destroy it without all of this useless dancing around?" Inuyasha loosened his grip on his sword, but, from the nervous twitching of his ears, didn't look too eager to be a part of this new plan.

Miroku sighed. "I probably could, with a lot of preparation and a lot of time--none of which we have--but it would kill Kimiko in the process."

Inuyasha glanced slowly around the silent group, looking at Kagome last. She was holding the kit again who was nibbling nervously on one claw and staring at the hime. Her face held hope and complete trust in the hanyou and the rest of her companions. Miroku would have found it hard to refuse Kagome anything if she looked at him like that, and wasn't surprised when Inuyasha's ears drooped slightly, indicating his surrender.

"Let's get this over with. Where do you want me to stand, bouzou?"

Miroku relaxed the tiniest bit. One of the hardest parts was convincing Inuyasha to follow any kind of a plan. Attack until the enemy was destroyed seemed to be his favorite, no matter the damage inflicted on the surroundings.

Quickly, the companions took positions in a rough circle around the unconscious hime against the edges of the room. After only brief thought, Miroku told Hachi to stand in the corner where he would be least likely to get in the way. The raccoon-dog pressed himself against the wall, whimpering to himself.

Kirara transformed into her fighting form without being asked. She butted her head against Miroku in rough sympathy and took up a position watching the hime the same way she would watch a mouse. Shippou stood next to Kagome, biting his lip and trembling, though he did his best to look brave.

Miroku crouched next to Kimiko's head. Slowly, he extended one hand until it was almost touching the barrier. The hard part would be convincing the youkai to leave its nice, safe host and make a dash for Inuyasha. The hanyou in question flexed his claws from his spot near the hime's feet, his amber eyes fixed unwaveringly on her face.

Chanting the words taught to him long ago by Mushin, Miroku sensed the energy gathering. He allowed the spiritual energy to fill his body, letting it flow through his fingertips. He sensed, rather than saw, the dark barrier rippling as the energy made it faintly restless. By now, it should begin to realize that a stronger soul was nearby. With a little more nudging, the youkai wouldn't be able to resist the opportunity.

The dark barrier flared as the youkai made its move. Something shadowy and vaguely snake-like shot from the hime's mouth. Its strong jaws, filled with rows of needle-sharp teeth gaped wide in a fierce hiss. The hiss turned to a scream as Inuyasha's claws sliced into the tough hide.

Possession of a shard granted the creature greater power. By no means destroyed, it writhed and abruptly changed its target.

Kagome shouted something and fumbled with her bow and arrow. Shippou gave a high-pitched growl and leaped forward. Tripping over his own paws, he stumbled into Kagome's legs. They both crashed to the ground while the youkai continued to streak towards the girl.

Miroku's eyes widened as he watched helplessly. He, Sango, and Kirara were too far away to reach her in time. Hachi gave a muffled squeak and promptly fainted.

The dark lust on the youkai's face changed belatedly to surprise. Inuyasha stood protectively in front of Kagome--claws ready to slash again if needed--as the two halves of the creature hit the floor on either side of him. Kagome's chest heaved with relief (Miroku decided that she should do that more often) and reached down to pry the frightened kit off her leg. Shippou whimpered, eyes still tightly shut, and clung even tighter.

"You can let go now, Shippou," Kagome said. "Inuyasha destroyed the youkai."

Inuyasha hoisted the kit into the air by the back of his kimono, ignoring Kagome's pained yelp as sharp baby claws scratched her skin. "Kagome nearly got possessed because of you!"

Shippou twisted, trying to kick or bite the enraged hanyou. "It's your fault! You didn't kill it with the first blow!"

For a split second, Miroku saw guilt and fear on Inuyasha's face. Immediately he hid his feelings in normal Inuyasha fashion.

"What were you trying to do?" he sneered. "I thought you promised to protect Kagome, not knock her down and almost get her possessed!"

Shippou went limp, and then began to wail. "I didn't mean to! Kagome's going to hate me!" Inuyasha dropped him with a snort of disgust, and didn't quite restrain a growl of jealousy when Kagome immediately gathered the kit into her arms.

"Everything's fine, Shippou." She stroked his soft red hair and wiped away his tears. "Inuyasha killed it and I wasn't hurt. I could never hate you."

"Lord Monk." Miroku jumped when he felt Sango's hand on his shoulder. "The youkai is gone, but your sister doesn't awaken."

The dark barrier had vanished with the destruction of the youkai, but Kimiko still looked the same.

_Could the tainted shard still be inside her? _"Kagome-sama, have you located the shard?"

Kagome poked gingerly at the youkai remains. "It's right here." With the young miko's touch, the dark glow of the shard turned to one of purity.

Kimiko had been under the control of the youkai for weeks. The dark energy wouldn't easily release her. Miroku felt a touch of desperation. _Her body and soul would have to be purified._

Kirara, back in kitten form, wiggled in front of him to peer anxiously into Kimiko's face. She mewed before turning to look at him. Communication with the firecat wasn't always easy, but the plea in that cry was quite clear.

Spiritual power still sang through his body. If not used soon, it would dissipate. Following a prompting he wasn't entirely aware of; Miroku focused his energy and leaned over Kimiko.

Softly, he placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, the kind given by a parent to a child or a brother to a sister. Nothing mattered in that moment as the sense of his companions faded to the edge of his awareness. His lips tingled as they touched her chilled skin. Color returned to her cheeks, her heartbeat increased, and her breathing changed. Sitting back on his heels, Miroku waited.

With a breathy sigh, Kimiko's eyes opened.

_

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One more chapter should finish this fic. And then I will start work on 'All of Me' again. As always: comments are welcome. _**

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Food for thought: **Sometimes I make up my mind, other times my mind wanders, and every so often I lose track of it entirely. 


	7. Meetings

_Sorry, I lied. This isn't the last chapter. But I can almost guarantee that the next one will be. I would also like to apologize for the lateness in posting this chapter. Three other projects came due in the last few weeks. Too much to do and not enough time to do it in. sigh Anywho, enjoy the chapter!_

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha

Chapter 7: Meetings

Miroku locked gazes with the confused violet eyes of the hime. His heart kicked into overdrive and his palms grew moist. _This is my sister, the person I've waited for years to_ _finally meet!_ She blinked and he saw her throat convulse as she swallowed. Fear flitted across her features.

"Who are you?" Her voice, slightly hoarse with disuse, quavered on the last word.

"We're the ones who just saved your life," Inuyasha stated bluntly. He still stood in front of Kagome, carefully not looking at her as she comforted Shippou. The rigid line of his body and the fact that he had his ears trained in the girl's direction betrayed the tension he was still feeling.

The hime glanced around at the rest of the group and seemed to notice that not all of them were human. "Youkai!" Her eyes grew wide and she tried to simultaneously sit up and back away from them. "Stay away from me, vile creatures!"

Miroku jerked backwards to prevent her head from cracking him on the chin. His elation at his sister's awakening quickly crumbled into ashes. _Where was the joyful reunion? Where was the gratitude?_

Sango helped him to his feet, handing him the staff he had laid on the floor while he was helping the hime. "Give her time, Lord Monk," she whispered. "She has just awakened to a room full of strangers." Miroku nodded, carefully squashing down his disappointment. Kimiko shouldn't be afraid of him. He was her brother!

Beside him, Sango suddenly stiffened. "Would you kindly remove your hand from my butt?"

Miroku blinked at her innocently. In his preoccupation, he hadn't even realized that his hand had sought a comforting and familiar target.

"Do it now, before your sister witnesses me beating you to a bloody pulp."

Miroku gulped and removed his hand.

Kagome pushed past Inuyasha to kneel in front of the hime. "You don't have anything to worry about," she said, smiling brightly. "The bad youkai is gone."

"That's right!" Shippou leaned forward in Kagome's arms, his eyes bright with curiosity. Obviously, he was back to his normal friendly and inquisitive self. The hime's beautiful violet eyes nearly crossed as she stared at the small kitsune kit right in front of her nose. She shrieked and promptly fainted.

The kit yelped and dashed to a safe perch on top of Kagome's head, furry tail twitching with reaction. "I didn't do anything to her, honest!"

"Hime!"

The door flew open and the two guards burst into the room, weapons ready to be used. Right behind them came the old miko. One of the guards scanned the room and jumped to the logical conclusion based on the evidence of his eyes.

"What have you done to the hime?" Raising his sword, he swung at the youkai closest to the hime, which just happened to be a certain dog eared hanyou. "We should never have allowed monsters in the castle!"

Inuyasha wrapped an arm around Kagome's waist and sprang out of the way. Shippou lost his grip and tumbled to the floor where he was in more immediate danger of being stepped on than sliced in two. Sango dodged the second guard, using the bulk of Hiraikotsu to deflect his sword. Kirara growled and pushed the man to the ground. He swallowed hard and decided not to argue with something the size of a transformed firecat.

Depositing Kagome in the same corner as the slowly rousing Hachi, Inuyasha easily relieved the remaining guard of his weapon. After tossing it aside, he smirked and flexed his claws.

"Care to face me now, human?"

Face pale, he still looked determined to take on the hanyou. This said a lot for his courage, but very little for his common sense.

"That's enough!" The old miko's voice cracked like a whip through the chaos. Muttering to herself, she stumped to the hime's side. Miroku again knelt next to her, peering anxiously into her face.

With a groan, the old miko lowered herself to the floor. Meticulously she examined the hime before giving a grunt of satisfaction.

"Is something wrong with her?" Miroku asked anxiously. Deep in his gut he knew that she was fine. After all, dealing with fainting women was nothing unusual. But this was his sister and he wanted reassurance.

At that moment, the hime stirred and opened her eyes for the second time.

The old miko let out a sharp breath and turned to look at Miroku, her expression speculative. "The hime is fine. There is no trace of a dark aura anywhere around her." Though she addressed everyone in the room, her eyes never left Miroku's face.

"Miko-sama?" the hime whispered in a sleepy voice, recapturing the attention of the group. "I had the strangest dream. I woke up and I was surrounded by youkai." She shuddered. "It was horrible."

There was a muffled exclamation from the corner. Miroku glanced over to see Inuyasha rubbing his head and glaring reproachfully at Kagome. It didn't take a genius to figure out that the hanyou had almost said something that would have sent the hime into hysterics again.

"Everything is fine," the old miko soothed. "Your noble Lord and the villagers will rejoice to see that you have recovered."

"Recovered?" She allowed the old miko to assist her into a sitting position. "Was I sick?"

"In a manner of speaking."

The hime's eyes widened as she noticed that the youkai in the room were not the product of a nightmare. To her credit, she did not scream or faint this time. "Have we been overrun? What are these youkai doing in here?"

Shippou edged closer to her with one wary eye on the two apprehensive guards. He gave her his best adorable little kid smile, complete with large, dewy eyes. It was a look that had charmed many women, or at least convinced them that he wasn't a threat. Her expression turned more uncertain than fearful, and she allowed the kit to approach without screaming or bursting into hysterical tears.

"We came to help." Not willing to push this tentative acceptance too far, Shippou stopped at the level of her knees. "We heard that there was trouble and we came to help because that is what we do. But it was mostly Miroku who got rid of the bad youkai."

The hime smiled, her hands nervously twisting the edge of the sheet in her lap. It was painfully obvious that she would be just as happy if all of the youkai in the room kept their distance. "Then we are grateful." She looked around at the rest of the group. "I am sure that my Lord would like to reward you. We would be honored if you would stay for a while to recover from your journey and to make sure that the evil is completely gone."

She barely waited for their assent before turning to Miroku. "Would you perform blessings for the castle, Lord Monk?" Lowering her lashes, a shy blush graced her cheeks. "I would sleep better at night," she admitted.

Sango jabbed him hard in the ribs with her elbow, helping Miroku to find his voice. Bowing slightly, he said, "I would be honored, hime." A few days spent in the palace might give him the courage to tell her about their family tie.

They were escorted back to their chambers and an enormous meal was brought. News traveled fast and the servants seemed more curious than afraid of them now. Many lingered until Kagome gently shooed them out before Inuyasha's scowling could frighten them.

Miroku glanced out the window, absently noting a new day had begun. Night had still lain heavy over the land when they had entered the hime's quarters. The whole exorcism had taken longer than he thought.

"Will you tell her, monk?" Inuyasha demanded abruptly after the dishes were collected and taken away. "She should know."

Miroku started, the excellent food turning into a lump that sat heavily in his stomach. Didn't Inuyasha understand how difficult this was? At least two lives would be irrevocably changed by the admission. "As soon as you tell HER why you're being so irritable," he retorted.

Inuyasha snapped his mouth shut and retreated into peevish silence. The girls exchanged glances, obviously wondering what part of the conversation they were missing. Shippou found Kagome's sleeping bag and quickly fell asleep, sprawled in the middle of it.

Long after everyone was asleep, Miroku remained awake. Kimiko seemed to have a good life here. She was respected by the villagers, and seemed content. The two children had looked happy and well-fed. What changes would come about by telling her about an unknown brother?

Miroku hadn't met the Lord yet, but Kimiko did not have the look of someone being abused. Out of gratitude, he might offer Miroku a permanent position at the castle. The old miko, though still vigorous, probably wouldn't last for too many more years. There were certainly plenty of pretty serving maids around.

He clenched his hand, feeling the familiar stretch and pull of the fabric covering his cursed hand. While Naraku yet lived, he couldn't settle in one place. Father and Grandfather were counting on him to extract revenge for the curse placed on their family.

Knowing that Kimiko would suffer if he died before fathering an heir made him determined to keep fighting. In his years of travel, he had made many enemies. Some would be perfectly willing to threaten his sister to get to him. That was something he couldn't risk.

He glanced around the room at his sleeping companions. Inuyasha, as usual, had placed himself in a position where he could immediately spring to the defense if they were attacked. There had been no reason for any of them to become involved in his problem. They were good friends.

Miroku could see out the window from where he sat. The sun steadily trekked across the sky, counting out the minutes and the hours. He smirked a little. If they took the hime's offer and stayed a few more days, the next night should prove interesting. Inuyasha would turn human in a castle full of ordinary mortals. Kagome would have her hands full keeping him entertained and quiet. The last thing any of them needed was for even more people to learn Inuyasha's little secret.

The anxiety of the last several days catching up with him, Miroku yawned. Maybe after a good sleep, he could decide what to do. Leaning against the wall, he allowed his limbs to relax and felt his eyes growing heavy.

All he needed was some sleep.

**

* * *

Food for thought:** Why do toasters always have a setting that burns the toast to a horrible crisp no one would eat? 


	8. Family

_This time it really is the last chapter. I promise. Enjoy!_

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha

Chapter 8: Family

Miroku tightened his hands on his staff to disguise their trembling. He smiled charmingly at the two guards, fully aware of the nervous sweat dampening the underarms of his robe.

Three days had passed since Kimiko's awakening, three days of wary gratitude by the inhabitants of the castle. Despite repeated reassurances that Inuyasha, Shippou, Hachi, and Kirara weren't going to hurt anybody, most of the people still regarded them with suspicion. Inuyasha didn't really help with the harmless persona they were trying to foster. He had been cooped up in one place for far too long and he was itching to get back on the trail of Naraku. Scowling and arguing with Kagome wasn't endearing him to anybody.

The Lord had insisted on rewarding them. The request, delivered by a young servant, delicately suggested that the youkai would be more comfortable away from prying eyes. Shippou was the only one upset at having to stay behind. It very neatly solved the problem of keeping Inuyasha's little secret from becoming general knowledge.

Miroku brushed imaginary dust from the front of his new robe. Clothing and a heavy bag of coins came from the Lord. He had been prepared to offer more, but the travelers politely declined the offer of horses and other valuables. Instead, they took payment in a form that would be easier to take with them.

The old miko emerged from the room that the soldiers guarded. She ignored them and fixed her eyes on Miroku. The monk broke out in a fresh sheen of sweat.

The opportunity had finally arrived.

"The hime will see you now," she announced, a faintly puzzled frown on her face. That expression had become common every time she looked at him.

Miroku nodded and strode into the room before he could change his mind. The hime--Kimiko-- sat on a small cushion watching the antics of the birds outside her window. A servant politely offered a dish of sweets that he just as politely declined.

"Welcome, Lord Monk." Kimiko looked up at him and smiled. "How goes the blessing?"

Miroku bowed. "Your castle is now free of evil taint." Glib words failed him and he fell silent, unsure of what else to say.

"Come. Sit." Kimiko gestured for a servant to bring another cushion. Miroku sank to his knees on the cushion with a brief smile of thanks for the pretty, young servant girl. She blushed becomingly, but he didn't pay as much attention as normal. There was only one person in the room who commanded his undivided attention.

Silence stretched between the two of them. Kimiko returned to watching the birds, seemingly not intending to make the first move.

Miroku cleared his throat. "Are you happy, hime?" he blurted.

She turned to him with a confused look. "Of course. Why do you ask?"

Mentally cursing his lack of tact, Miroku nonetheless seized the opening. "It is my duty to ensure happiness wherever I can. Does--does your husband treat you well?"

"My Lord is very kind," she responded. "We have two beautiful children. I am quite fond of him." Her brow creased with concern. "Is something wrong? Is my Lord unhappy with me?"

"No." Miroku hastened to reassure her. "Nothing like that. I was--I was just curious," he finished lamely.

She subsided back into silence. Several times, Miroku started to speak before changing his mind. There didn't seem to be any good way to bring up the subject he most wanted to discuss.

"The tajiya is one of your traveling companions?"

Sango? What did she have to do with anything? Miroku gaped like a witless fool, unable to comprehend the abrupt change of subject. Abruptly he realized that she was waiting patiently for a reply.

"Yes," he said, and fell silent again. What a wonderful conversationalist he was turning out to be.

"How can she handle being so close to those youkai all the time?" Kimiko shuddered delicately and lowered her voice. "I must admit, Lord Monk, that they frighten me. They are so wild and uncivilized."

"They aren't so bad," Miroku chided. He frowned, beginning to grasp that he and his sister had had vastly different upbringings. If she couldn't deal with the thought of youkai in the same castle, he hated to think how she would react to the family curse.

Stubbornly, he felt compelled to defend his friends. "Inuyasha has proven to be very valuable on our quest. And Shippou wouldn't hurt a fly. In fact, I couldn't imagine not having any of them around."

From the look in her eyes, he didn't think he had convinced her. But she didn't pursue the subject. "Where will you go from here, Lord Monk?"

He shrugged, inwardly grateful for a less sensitive topic. "Wherever the next shard rumor takes us I guess. And please, call me Miroku."

Kimiko blushed and lowered her eyes. "That wouldn't be seemly, Lord Monk." She paused. "I thank you for your concern over my welfare. Our miko has assured me that the parasitic youkai did no lasting harm. Now I only wish to return to my duties and forget all about this unpleasantness."

The smile froze on Miroku's face as his last hope died a final death. There was nothing left to say. Feeling as if he had aged years in the space of a few minutes, he pushed himself to his feet. His eyes lingered on Kimiko's face, memorizing her features.

As Kagome often said, ignorance was bliss. In that instant he made the toughest decision of his life. It would do her no good and could cause immeasurable heartache if her true family origins were revealed. Silently he vowed to destroy Naraku no matter what. His gentle sister would never feel the burden of the kazaana.

"May you always be happy, hime." Giving her no chance to respond to that puzzling comment, he bowed his head slightly and let himself out of the room. Barely heard were Kimiko's last words of thanks before she turned her gaze back to the window.

"I know who you are."

Somehow, it came as no surprise that the old miko was still waiting outside the door. She had managed to be no more than a shout away from him for the last three days. With his thoughts still in the other room, he barely registered the triumphant tone of her words.

"Of course you do," he replied distractedly. "I'm the same person I was three days ago."

"You're the twin."

The increased pounding of his heart should have become a familiar sensation by now. Enough had happened in the last few days that nothing should surprise him. But he was caught off balance again. "I don't know what you're talking about, Miko-sama," he stammered.

The old miko grabbed his arm and dragged him out of earshot of the curious guards. "It took awhile," she continued conversationally once they were alone. "I couldn't understand why I felt that you looked familiar when I know that we had never met before." She tilted her head as she regarded him thoughtfully. "You look remarkably like your twin sister. You both have the same eyes."

"I--" Miroku tried frantically to think of something--anything--that would convince the old woman that she was wrong.

"Don't deny it, boy!" Miroku shut his mouth with a snap. "I hope that you are not going to use family connections to blackmail the hime. Nobody knows the circumstances of her birth. There would be chaos if it became known that their beloved hime is not the true daughter of the old daimyo."

Miroku's shoulders slumped in defeat. "Have no fear, Miko-sama. I haven't told the hime. And I don't plan to."

She didn't look convinced. "Then what do you want? You and your friends have been tiptoeing around the castle for days. And I know that it couldn't have taken more than an hour to bless this place from top to bottom. Except for that unfortunate possession, I and the other visiting priests and priestesses have kept this castle free of youkai."

"The hime--" Miroku sighed. "Kimiko has had a very sheltered upbringing. She doesn't need to know about a brother who has his own set of problems." He held his cursed hand up between them. "Just know that I am laboring under a curse. I have no wish to burden Kimiko with such knowledge."

"The Lord should know about this," the old miko insisted.

"No," Miroku said forcefully. "My companions and I will be leaving in the morning. We will never directly trouble you again." He held his breath, hoping that she would not question him more. It would ruin the small measure of peace he had attained if she forbade him from keeping watch through Hachi.

She thought about that. "Tell me about this curse," she commanded. "As long as you never approach the castle again I will not inform the Lord or the hime."

Miroku let out a long breath. "It shall be as you command, Miko-sama."

It didn't take long for Miroku to explain a portion of his tragic past. There were several things that he neglected to mention. The old miko didn't need to know everything. Afterwards, she agreed that the hime did not need to know about this curse. If things went well, she would never need to know.

Miroku joined his companions in their room just in time for supper. He attacked the food like a starving man. For the first time in days he actually had an appetite. Nothing had been really resolved, but even the decision to say nothing seemed to lift a great weight from him.

"You sure must be hungry tonight, Miroku," Shippou observed.

"Did you finally tell Kimiko?" Inuyasha asked.

Miroku polished off his sixth bowl of rice and leaned back with a contented sigh. "No, I did not."

"What?" Inuyasha stared at him. "Isn't that why we stayed this long?"

Miroku met the hanyou's gaze calmly. "Telling Kimiko would only make me feel good. I talked to her today and decided not to jeopardize her happiness. Kimiko had a very different childhood. If she has found some measure of peace, then I refuse to take that away from her."

Inuyasha was the first one to look away. "I still say that's the coward's way out," he grumbled.

"We're behind you all the way," Kagome assured him. "I've been away from home for a long time anyway. There is something very important I need to do on the other side of the well."

"Are you going to be late for your 'date'?" Inuyasha asked sarcastically.

"What are you talking about, Inuyasha?" Sensing an imminent fight, everybody found somewhere else to look. Right now Kagome was mostly perplexed, but that would change soon.

"I heard you talking!" Inuyasha glared at Kagome, his hands curled into fists against his thighs. "You were telling Sango all about your date with this Hojo character from your time!"

Kagome stared at the hanyou suspiciously. "Are you jealous?"

"Me?" Inyasha spluttered and tucked his hands into his sleeves, turning his head away. "Of course not! I just think we have more important things to do. Like shard hunting."

Kagome took a deep breath, visibly trying to control her temper. "Eavesdropping is a nasty habit, Inuyasha. You never know what you'll hear. I told Sango that my friends wanted to set me up with Hojo. I also told her that I turned them down. Between schoolwork and shard hunting, I don't have the time to go on dates." She relaxed and directed her eyes to the floor in front of her bent knees. "Besides, I'd rather spend time with my friends here instead of going on a date with Hojo or any boy from my era."

Miroku watched with interest as Inuyasha's ears twitched and a slight flush spread across his face. It was clear to everybody except the stubborn dog-boy that Kagome held more feelings than mere friendship for him. He suspected that Inuyasha's feelings were nearly as strong, if he would just admit it.

Sango cleared her throat and offered a piece of leftover fish to Kirara. "Which direction do you think we should head in tomorrow, Lord Monk?"

Frowning in thought, Miroku watched out of the corner of his eye as Inuyasha slowly relaxed. "I heard a rumor the other day that there is youkai trouble to the north. It might be worth investigating."

"Sounds good to me." Kagome's eyes were troubled as she handed the last chocolate bar to Shippou. She kept glancing at Inuyasha. "If everyone agrees." Inuyasha just snorted.

Hachi started whining that he didn't want to go. The uncomfortable mood was broken as Miroku turned his attention to the loyal raccoon-dog. Everybody got ready for bed as he assured Hachi that he had done more than enough, would be well rewarded, and didn't have to go with them on any dangerous shard hunts.

Miroku had almost as much trouble getting to sleep as he did before he made his decision. It hurt to know that this would probably be the last time he ever saw his gentle sister.

Tomorrow they would leave the castle. Life would go on pretty much as it had before. Kimiko would forget about them. Her children would never know their uncle. But if Kimiko remained safe and happy, then it would all be worth it.

Obscurely, he was comforted by the thought that the old miko was now partial to his secret. She would keep an eye on the hime. Hachi would continue to watch from afar. Things couldn't be better.

It hurt. His throat tightened with emotion and he had to swallow several times. Why should this hurt so much? Mushin had trained him in the ways of the monk. It should be nothing to distance himself from his emotions.

Deep breathing all around him indicated that the rest of his companions were mostly asleep. Kagome's big yellow backpack leaned against the wall nearest him. A pair of trim ankles crossed his line of sight and Sango walked over to rummage for something in the backpack. She seemed to sense that he was watching her because she turned to look at him.

"Don't," she whispered.

Perplexed, he could only whisper back, "Don't what?"

"Don't shut yourself away." She reached out with one hand as if to touch him, hesitated, and withdrew her arm. "Don't forget how much Kimiko means to you. Remember that we are your friends. We'll support you no matter what."

Friends? With everything that had been going on, he had neglected his friends. These companions had been with him through some of the most trying times in his life. Miroku sucked in a breath and released it slowly. His heart felt lighter.

Beautiful Sango. He admired her determination to regain her little brother. In a small corner of his mind, he was almost willing to admit that she meant a lot to him.

"I promise, Sango."

She smiled and went back to her sleeping place, Kagome's hairbrush in one hand. Miroku's eyes grew heavy. He welcomed sleep, not for the oblivion it would bring, but that the morning would come faster. Suddenly, the future looked much brighter. There was only one thought just before sleep claimed him.

Be always happy, Kimiko.

* * *

The End.

_What did you think? Not much is really resolved, but then it wasn't meant to be. Feedback is appreciated. Now to work on 'All of Me.'_

**Food for thought**: Equal amounts of dark chocolate and white chocolate is a balanced diet.


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